Religious Studies Department Learning Goals

Think analytically about religion by engaging texts, practices, ideas, and other significant cultural resources from multiple disciplinary and interpretive prespectives.

Develop capacities and transferable skills in perceptive reading, critical, and constructive thinking, oral communication, effective writing, and the ability to work with others.

Cultivate reflective understanding of subjects related to religion that helps a student recognize similarities to and differences from his or her own perspective, thus growing in religious literacy, self-awareness and empathy for others as part of a broader human community.

For majors in Religious Studies, the curriculum also aims to:

Facilitate focused study concentrated on a coherent area, topic or method of study of special interest or distinctive concern.

Broaden awareness of religious diversity through engagement with multiple traditions and topics across varied cultural and historical contexts.

Promote engaged learning that applies and evaluates academic subject matter in light of first-hand experience with individuals and communities.

Enhance student learning through a substantive senior project that involves integration and creative synthesis reflective of prior study and in preparation for personal life and professional careers after college.